The present invention relates generally to wireless data transport services, and more particularly, to methods that extend the capabilities of wireless data transport services, and the like.
Certain wireless data transport services utilize the digital control channels of the cellular network. Among these are Cellemetry(trademark) and Aeris(trademark). Based on the definition described by the cellular model, there are at least two essential data xe2x80x9cpacketsxe2x80x9d that are transmitted on control channels to allow cellular phone identification and control as a cellular user moves around from place to place.
The first primary data packet is a Mobile Identification Number, or MIN. The mobile identification number is the xe2x80x9ctelephone numberxe2x80x9d of the remote cellular phone. The mobile identification number is typically a 10 digit number in the style of landline phone numbers. The second essential data packet is an Electronic Serial Number, or ESN, of the remote phone. This electronic serial number is intended to uniquely identify the specific handset in use, helping cellular providers prevent fraudulent use of a user""s account.
In the case of Cellemetry service, the MIN and ESN have different uses from normal voice service. The MIN serves as a unit identifier while the ESN field carries 32 bits of live, remote data. The ESN will be referred to as a Data Field herein for clarity. This data is transmitted by the remote cellular device and is collected by a central processing computer remotely located from the cellular device. The Cellemetry service acts as a data conduit by transferring a string of data from the remote cellular device to the central computer owned by the company who needs to retrieve the remote data. When transmission occurs, the remote cellular phone sends in a string of data including (in the case of Cellemetry) its MIN (identifying itself) and its ESN (the data to be transferred).
There is a limited supply of MINs available to wireless providers, and because of supply and demand, the value of a MIN is relatively high. For example, a subscriber to the Cellemetry service may pay $5.00 to $10.00 per MIN per month. While this may not seem particularly high, it can be prohibitively expensive for many applications such as remote meter reading, where per-meter-per-month reading costs commonly are in the $0.50 range.
It is therefore an objective of the present invention to provide for methods that extend the capabilities and lower the operating costs of wireless data transport services, such as Cellemetry services, remote monitoring or remote control services, such as remote meter reading, and the like.
To accomplish the above and other objectives, the present invention provides for methods that extend the capabilities of wireless data transport services. The present methods permit communication with many more wireless remote data transport devices that has heretofore be possible. In particular, the present invention increases the number of users of cellemetry services, such as remote monitoring or remote control services, including remote meter reading, and the like, by increasing the number of Remote Device Identification Numbers (RDINs) that may be used.
For purposes of clarification, the RDIN is an extended MIN. The MIN is defined as a 10 digit number. In the context of Cellemetry, for example, the quantity of available MINs is limited to a small portion of the total number of possible MINs that could be defined by 10 digits. The majority of MINs are used by standard cell phones. The RDIN in this example is defined by concatenating the MIN with another number, creating more than 10 digits of identity. For example, if an additional 3 digits are concatenated onto the MIN, then the RDIN would have 13 digits, or 1000 times more identity possibilities than the MIN from which it originated.
In one exemplary embodiment described in full below, the additional number concatenated onto the MIN is a number allowing many remote units to share the 10 most significant digits (the MIN) while being uniquely identified (RDIN) by the added least significant digits. In a second exemplary embodiment described below, the added number represents a time slot, during which the device becomes active, and outside of which the device is dormant; This time slot may be a day of the month, a day of the week, an hour of the day, or a combination of these or other time identities. Specific examples are discussed below.
In a first exemplary embodiment, the identity of each wireless remote data transport device is subdefined by placing additional identification information into data fields of packets transmitted by the devices. In a second embodiment, mobile identification numbers assigned to wireless remote data transport devices are time division multiplexed across a large number of remote devices. In both embodiments, multiple devices sharing the same primary identification number are communicated with by paging (transmitting) the shared primary identification number, followed by a page (transmission) containing a unique secondary identification number, followed by or including one or more pages containing commands or data.